I had no idea they were endangered... they are everywhere! though I suppose I have only seen them there in captivity though- not in the wild- and how they fare in the wild should determine their status.

Many places seem to tout the idea that they rescue injured or abandoned elephants- I am sure many of them do- but also difficult to tell how many are using the conservation angle to get more tourists. If they are doing both I suppose that's alright...

Both Asian and African Elephants are endangered species. Most of the elephants in Thailand are in captivity and you can see them in a lot of places. There are an estimated 1,500 wild elephants, maybe less, left in Thailand. They are there but just in much lower numbers than before. And people are trying to keep their population from declining any more.

There are legitimate places that take care of rescued and abandoned elephants. In some, the elephants put on an entertaining show for everyone and that is probably the reason why they get tourists. In other places, the animals just live normally in a protected area and you get to watch them. I personally like those better but either way I’m sure they are trying to appeal to tourists.